Looking for some depth to help the Rochester Amerks? A pair of defensemen with Western New York ties who are both former second-round draft picks did not receive qualifying offers Monday and have become unrestricted free agents.

The New York Rangers did not extend an offer to Wheatfield's Adam Clendening, while Amherst's Dylan Blujus did not receive one from the Tampa Bay Lightning. Both are free to keep negotiating with their old teams but have now become UFAs eligible to sign with any club come Saturday at noon.

Clendening, 24, had two goals and nine assists in 31 games last season for the Rangers -- his fifth NHL club over the last three years. Clendening was taken No. 36 overall by Chicago in 2011 and was named an AHL all-star in 2014 after collecting 12 goals and 47 assists for the Blackhawks' AHL team in Rockford, Ill. He made his NHL debut for the Hawks that season and has also played for Vancouver, Pittsburgh and Edmonton.

Blujus, taken No. 40 by Tampa Bay in 2012, has not played in an NHL game. The 23-year-old spent the last three years with the AHL's Syracuse Crunch but was limited to 23 games last season after wrist surgery. He had one goal and seven assists for the Crunch, who went on to the Calder Cup Finals before losing to Grand Rapids.

Mike Harrington – Mike Harrington has covered the Sabres, MLB, the Bisons, college basketball and high schools since joining The News in 1987. He is a National Baseball Hall of Fame voter, a 2013 inductee into the Buffalo Baseball Hall of Fame and the chairman of the Buffalo chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers Association.